6th February 2018

Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) has launched “Start Your Impossible”―a global corporate initiative that aims to inspire Toyota employees, partners, and customers and connect them with the company’s core beliefs. In an age of accelerating technological and environmental developments, “Start Your Impossible” marks Toyota’s commitment to support the creation of a more inclusive and sustainable society in which everyone can challenge their impossible.

Toyota believes that mobility goes beyond cars; it is about overcoming challenges and making dreams come true. The “Start Your Impossible” initiative reflects these values and highlights the company’s goal to provide freedom of mobility for all. “We want to share this thinking with all stakeholders, including consumers, so that we can approach this challenge together,” said Toyota President Akio Toyoda.

Since its founding as a loom manufacturer, Toyota has been driven by a commitment to contribute to society. Over its long history, the company has grown into an innovative leader that has enabled vehicle electrification on a mass scale with the development of the Prius hybrid electric car 20 years ago and more recently, the Mirai hydrogen fuel cell electric car. Toyota sees alternative powertrains, automated cars, mobility-as-a-service, and robotics as significant opportunities to move people and transform the company.

As worldwide partner of The Olympic Games and The Paralympic Games, Toyota aims to encourage creating a peaceful society without discrimination through sports and a commitment to creating a sustainable society through mobility. Toyota’s values of continuous improvement and respect for people are shared by The Olympic Games, which brings together the entire world in friendship and solidarity to celebrate the highest realization of human potential.

“Throughout our history, Toyota has made the impossible possible through innovation and passion, and by continuously challenging the definition of impossible. Today, the automobile industry is clearly amidst its most dramatic period of change―and during this time Toyota remains committed to making ever better cars. Just as important, we are developing mobility solutions to help everyone enjoy their lives, and we are doing our part to create an ever better society for the next 100 years and beyond. For this to happen, we have to dream beyond conventional vehicles and create new forms of mobility that overcome the limits of today and solve the problems of tomorrow. We share this dream and this spirit of continuous improvement with Olympic and Paralympic athletes, who challenge their own limits every day. I hope that The Olympic and Paralympic Games will create an opportunity for everyone affiliated with Toyota to challenge their impossible and defy their limitations.”

As the first mobility partner of The Olympics Games and The Paralympic Games, Toyota aims to offer mobility services and logistics expertise. The first “Start Your Impossible” film, “Mobility for All,” introduces transportation solutions, next generation mobility, and advanced technologies. Going forward, “Start Your Impossible” will also include a variety of additional programs focused on employees, dealers and consumers, as well as seeking collaboration with the Toyota Mobility Foundation, which was established to address urban transportation challenges and expand personal mobility for all people, inspiring the next generation mobility solutions.

Toyota is also launching a new website―www.MobilityForAll.com. In consultation with the National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) in the United States, the website (which will be rolled out in phases) is built to be accessible for users with various impairments and to allow all users to experience the site and all its content. Whether set to default, visually impaired, hearing impaired, mobility impaired or cognitively impaired, all coding and design features work to make the experience equally enjoyable for all users.

To celebrate the launch of “Start Your Impossible,” and its partnership with The Olympic Games and The Paralympic Games, Toyota today is holding its first-ever Toyota Mobility Summit in Athens, Greece, the host city of the first modern Olympic Games. The event features a live conversation with Akio Toyoda, as well as a series of discussions led by Toyota Executive Vice President Didier Leroy, with global thought leaders and Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The event will cover topics of mobility from a social, physical well-being and sports perspectives, as well as the future of mobility via technology advancements and research.

British Athletics has today confirmed that eight of the worlds top athletics nations will compete in the Athletics World Cup London 2018 this summer.

Following on from the success of London 2017 which saw the capital become the first city ever to stage both the World Para Athletics and IAAF World Athletics Championships in the same year, fans of the sport will once again see the best countries competing in the UK, in the greatest athletics stadium in the world.

The competition format featuring all field and track events up to and including the 1500m will star the world’s eight leading athletics nations over those disciplines: USA, Great Britain & Northern Ireland, Poland, China, Germany, France, Jamaica and South Africa. The ground-breaking two-day event takes place under floodlights across Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 July at the London Stadium.

Each nation will be competing for a $2million prize pot over two evening sessions of athletics under the lights.

With just one man and one women from each nation selected in each event in an all-straight final format, the biggest competing nations are set to be welcomed back to London this summer, with registrations opening today (5 February) on www.athleticsworldcup.org following which a ballot for tickets will be held in April 2018.

To mark 100 years since women were given the right to vote, and as part of the Mayor of London’s #BehindEveryGreatCity campaign, the first edition of the event will see all Nations select a female athlete as team captain.

Richard Bowker CBE, Chair, UK Athletics said:

“The Athletics World Cup London 2018 will be one of the biggest athletics events in 2018 and as such we’re thrilled to be able to launch it at the London Stadium. This is world-class competition where nation will face nation and fans will see an amazing feast of athletics over two days featuring many of the biggest global superstars in the world of sport.

“This will be an incredible event which we are thrilled to be able to launch on the back of a highly-successful World Championships last summer.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

“When it comes to hosting world-class sport, no other city does it quite like London. Holding the first-ever World Para Athletics and World Athletics Championships together in London last summer, will live long in the memory and we are again looking forward to welcoming the world’s best athletes and sports fans from around the globe to our great city.

“It’s fitting that each nation competing in the Athletics World Cup will be captained by a woman as we mark the centenary of the first women securing the right to vote, I am delighted British Athletics has joined me in the #BehindEveryGreatCity campaign to support the continuing success of women and our push for greater gender equality from all backgrounds.”

IAAF President, Sebastian Coe said:

“This is one of the exciting innovative events we are seeing in our sport and our thanks go to British Athletics and the Mayor of London for creating it and hosting it. We have 8 lanes, 8 top nations, 8 teams and a host of world class athletes lining up in each event to win the trophy and prize pot. This will be a fast-paced and exhilarating experience for athletes and fans.”

“It’s great to see such an exciting head to head event confirmed to be taking place in London this summer – the concept is one that will excite everyone in athletics and is sure to attract new fans to the sport. The South African team will be there in force and we hope to see fans from all over the world join us in London for what will be an amazing competition.”

Johannes Vetter, Javelin, World-Champion (Germany) said:

“This is great news. I remember my performance back in 2017. Great Spectators, great stadium, great atmosphere and at the end I celebrated my first world Champion Title. I‘m sure all eight nations will enjoy a fantastic top event.“

Idriss Gonschinska, Head of Sports German National-Team:

“The Athletics World Cup is a great opportunity for track and field. We are grateful for a new innovative event.“

Henryk Olszewski, president of Polish Athletic Association said:

“This is a great honour since the new athletics event is limited to best teams from all over the world. Additional flavor is the World Cup take place in London where we come back with fantastic memories after last year IAAF World Championships where Poland won 8 medals.”

Fans can register their interest in attending the Athletics World Cup from 13:00 today, 5 February at www.athleticsworldcup.org

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